Ene's World State
by Rietto
Summary: Spoiler to Kagerou Days novels. Title-less drabbles related to Ene during the event in book 1, based on the song Konoha's World State. Now a collection of one shots concerning Ene based on various Vocaloid songs.
1. Ene's World State

Ene realized long ago that her 'body' was different from the rest of the world's. Hers was like something out of science fiction story, something out of people's dreams. Sometimes even herself doubt the fact that she's truly alive.

Yes, if she hadn't remembered about that person whom she loved, she'd doubt her own existence.

Remembering him brought pain to her chest, and with each throb her desire to meet him grew stronger and stronger.

'Haruka… I want to see you again…'

In the middle of the night, when Shintaro was asleep, she'd hug her knees and whispered particularly to no one. Her tears turned into pixel squares that flowed up, and somewhere deep inside her she wished it'd reach her beloved.

* * *

During school festival, just as predicted no one was able to beat her. Takane watched in disbelief during her break as more and more people lined up to try to defeat her, the number two in the whole country in terms of shooting game. Even though their loss was already decided…

Of course, it was until that punk of a genius came along with his girlfriend and humiliated her.

But it wasn't what in Ene's mind at that night, when Shintaro fell asleep in front of his computer. Ene watched silently from the monitor as the hikikomori kept on calling a girl who was no longer there in the living world.

'Ayano… don't go…'

It's nothing unusual.

Inside his dream, Shintaro was probably watching Ayano as she jumped from the roof again and again. Ene had heard him asking Ayano the reason behind her tears in his dreams, something he still couldn't understand until today.

If she could, Ene would hug the boy and comforted him, but alas it was impossible. In the end, what she could do was only try the best she could to always smile just like the girl he loved.

That night, Ene thought that even though Ayano was no longer there with him, just like in the school festival, the feeling of love she saw inside Shintaro hadn't disappeared, and Ene had a feeling that it would never disappear.

* * *

Because of a certain circumstances that Ene was proud to admit was her fault, Shintaro went out of his room after two years. It was a feat, considering none of his family members and teachers (as if he had any friends) managed to do it. It was also the first time after a very long time for Ene to went out, so she was quite excited about it. She watched in awe as everything in the town had changed considerably.

The awe couldn't last long enough though, as not five minutes since she and Shintaro entered the building, they were trapped in terrorist attack.

And at that time, Ene couldn't stop thinking of how the world had become so much more dangerous than it used to be.

* * *

Back then, it was summer when Haruka collapsed. Now that Ene thought about it, she hadn't seen him open his eyes ever, and she couldn't help but to wonder if he's still alive. If he's still alive, then there's a chance she could still convey her feelings, despite not being a human anymore. If he's dead, then with her immortal new body it's impossible.

She was secretly thinking of that when Shintaro and the rest of Mekakushi Dan were chatting as they were walking home from the amusement park. The weather was almost the same to the weather of that summer day so it really couldn't be helped. To erase the depressing thought away, she then joined their conversation, making fun of Shintaro and making silly promises with everyone.

It was until she saw him.

Konoha.

The character Haruka made back then, in flesh and blood.

'I'm sorry, but can we please go after them?!'

The summer day that resemble that day in the past… and there he was just beyond her reach. Ene tried to push through the monitor of Shintaro's iPhone, but it was futile. She couldn't came out. Even though the slight hope that Haruka was still alive was just there… she couldn't reach him with her new body.

And then, it was like her life flashed back in her mind.

Looking Konoha's red eyes as he went away in ambulance brought her back to that day when Haruka fell down and possibly never wake up. She didn't want that to happen. She had to keep Konoha safe. After all, she had spent many August thinking that he's dead, and only thought that he's there in the living world during obon.

Unexpectedly, her surrounding was filled with pixel square as she started crying, whether it was from joy of the new found hope or sadness of remembering, not even Ene knew.

At that time…

No matter the future would be… with their eyes, surely…


	2. World's Last Confession

Because I'm addicted to Kemu's Earth's Final Confession.

And… I'm team Haruka/Konoha. What happen next, will she moves on the the world of dead, or stay alone in the cyber world… not even I know.

* * *

There was a time when all she wanted to do was to play games in the empty science room, with the boy she loved nearby drawing something unknown. Back then, she surely wished for it to last forever.

"… I wish I can be a child forever."

He surely laughed at that and said that it's so out of character of her to say things like that.

Surely…

Because truth to be told, Ene had already forgotten about most of it. Could she really be blamed though? After all, years had passed since that day in the empty science room.

Years had passed since Haruka turned into ashes.

The blue haired girl let out a sigh. How many years had it been since that wish was made? Ene regretted it immediately after she became cyber girl. Unable to sleep, unable to do anything but existing without the ability to die…

What a cruel prank from God.

And then…

"I'm sorry, Ene… "

Did he know that his grandmother said the same thing nearly a thousand years ago?

Apparently with the human blood thickening in each and every generation, the medusae's lifespan also get reduced. And with that, the last human on earth died, leaving her alone in cyber world.

If she could, Ene would give a flower to the person who had been with her for years. Who kept on smiling despite the dying earth and loneliness.

But she couldn't.

Just like for countless death she mourned before, she could only say goodbye to them, and hoped that their next life would be filled with happiness.

She had expected that the last would be from Mary and Seto's bloodline.

And as she remembered the group…

Of the days they spent together happily one summer…

"What beautiful sunset…"

"Yeah."

"Next year let's come again!"

But, there would be no next year.

Everyone had turned to ashes, and Ene's now all alone. Soon, she'd lose the ability to look into the destroyed world and be left alone in the world of codes.

Forever.

As she realized that, she remembered the person she loved the most, the person who made her want to stay as kid forever, who stayed quiet as he looked at the beautiful sunset thousands years before. Back then he just smiled as he pointed the phone's camera towards the sunset, not knowing that Ene found his smile more endearing than the sunset.

She should have confessed then.

Because surely, God granted her wish so that she could say it to him. Because her last words as human being, her feelings towards him, didn't reach that person, didn't it?

Ene always thought the reason was because there was no private time between them, and that the current state between them was enough, but it's a lie. She was just a coward, and she just realized it then.

Even so… if it's in the world where no human exist…

"… I love you."

And as the world's last machinery lost its power, Earth's last confession was told. Even if the one who should have heard it couldn't possibly hear it anymore.


	3. Me Who Is Like You, You Who Are Like Me

Me who is like you, you who are like me.

The song I used as crutch. But the inside is so not like the title. Except the part where both Ene's and Shintaro's loved ones were both dead.

Deco27 song, I know. Please spare me…

* * *

Ene swore it was an accident.

No, she didn't plan on surprising her master Shintaro by suddenly playing loud music on her own. It's just that the button was so alluring, she just couldn't help it. The way the advertizing said 'Click me!' made her wonder (for quite a long time, mind you) what could it lead to. How could she have known that it'd lead to a rock band's site?

Even so, the hikikomori couldn't care less of her reason. What's done was done.

In surprise of the deafening mind blowing music which sounded almost like explosion in his ears, he lost his muse.

"… Even though I've finally came up with decent tune… That deafening music made me forget! Unbelievable!"

Without hearing her explanation about how alluring a button can be, he deleted her in a fit of rage.

"… It's not like your sense is good in the first place… Stupid Master…"

Being a being akin to virus, she could stay 'alive' even after being deleted. It's just like Shintaro just took away her right to exist in his computer for the time being. She could return when Shintaro goes online once more. Even so, apparently that time he wanted to focus on his song writing, so perhaps he wouldn't go online sometime soon.

"Hmph! Let's see how long you can survive without internet! When you get in, I swear I'll bug you to death!"

Of course Ene herself realized the improbability of Shintaro letting her do that.

In truth, deep inside her mind, she's wondering what should she say to him once he goes online to apologize. Even though it's an accident, it's still her fault, she realized.

Even so…

Shintaro stayed offline even after days.

Ene didn't think he could last that long. She stood impatiently in the world of zeroes, waiting the time when she could enter his computer again, but the gate never opened. Even though usually he could spend twenty hours a day browsing (three for his silly music and one for other necessities)…

"… Master?"

What could he be doing?

Did she hurt him that much for him to abandon his love for anything from the internet?

Ene shuddered from the thought. The thought of staying in the world of codes alone for good was just too scary. She's losing her mind already after just minutes. After Shintaro kicked her out, she went to his sister's computer, and scared the hell out of her. After proper explanation, the idol allowed her to stay at her computer, despite her initial reluctance.

Who could blame her? Suddenly a self-aware AI program from God-knows-where came and asked to stay with her after all. Ene herself was surprised Momo didn't question her about things like Shintaro did when she first met him.

"Ene can stay with me as long as you like."

Momo said it with a smile. Obviously, it's because she's glad to find someone who wasn't with her because she's an idol. Even though the cause was not because Ene wanted to be friend with her too, at least she's not her fan.

Even so… she accepted her, unlike Shintaro who repeatedly told her how his life would have been more peaceful without her around. For her, perhaps it would be better to stay with Momo.

Despite that, Ene couldn't bring herself to stop thinking about Shintaro.

Through the world of codes, even though she couldn't enter Shintaro's computer, she realized that she could communicate with him. After all, it's impossible for him to live completely without internet.

All mails sent through internet after all. Shintaro couldn't possibly ignore the mails of notices from his favorite sites.

"… It's not like I'm missing him or anything… It's just that he might be dead already, so I better make sure of that. Yeah. It's definitely not because I want to apologize or something."

Through the cracks in the firewall, Ene managed to send a mail to Shintaro.

Again… and again…

Until finally she cracked and became even more desperate than ever.

_'Hey… it's been five days… I'm really sorry… It's an accident… I won't do it again, so Master, please reply?'_

* * *

"Damn it that idiot siren…"

Shintaro stared impatiently at the screen as he tapped his fingers. The lyric was already inputted into the program, and what's left was only the melody. He had thought that he found a good one back then, but of course Ene had to ruin it.

Pathetic.

So pathetic…

Shintaro massaged his aching head as he sighed for the millionth times that week.

It wasn't Ene's fault he didn't take note of the melody he thought up. It's his own stupidity. It's probably one reason why he's still an useless hikikomori instead of an aspiring song writer. But still, it's easier when he had someone to blame, and Ene was the closest in proximity.

The realization made him reluctant to go online. Despite Ene's mails, he couldn't bring himself to reply. He didn't want to admit he was at fault, and didn't want to blame her at the same time, so in conclusion he thought it'd be better to not reply.

When his phone rang once more it was already midnight, when the day changed. It's Ene again, asking for his reply again. It couldn't be anyone else. No one else would contact him since Ayano died.

"… It's better this way, right?"

_'It's… it's been nine days, Master… Are you still alive? Please respond. Once again, I'm sorry!'_

The content of the messages was becoming more and more unlike her. Ene, the strong annoying girl(?) he knew was almost unrecognizable from the way she spoke in the mails.

Shintaro didn't like it.

He took a deep breath, and forced himself to reply that day.

_'If I talk, I don't know how to say it so that it's not hurting you, you know? Just come see me quickly."_

* * *

"… Ene? What's wrong?"

When they were chatting, suddenly the blue haired girl in Momo's computer froze like there's a glitch in her program. When she finally snapped out of it, she just shook her head and forced a smile.

"Nothing!"

Being someone who's required to master fake smile for living, Momo could tell that Ene's hiding something right away.

"Did my brother finally reply? Did he say something stupid? Come on, Ene, tell me… I can't help you if you don't say anything."

"It's really nothing! I'm as cheerful as ever~!"

"… really?"

"Really really! Ah, look at the time! Didn't you say you have a job to do? Your manager will get mad at you!"

Momo looked at the clock on the wall behind her and sighed. True, she's running late, but Momo had specifically said to Ene that she couldn't care less about her schedule. As long as her manager hasn't called yet, she's good. Ene was driving her away.

"… I understand. I'll go now. But really, if Brother is hurting you, tell me okay? I'll beat the crap out of him for you!"

He did, through the voice mail he sent to her.

But Ene had no intention to tell Momo that. One reason for that was because she wasn't sure Shintaro meant what she thought he did. His voice was hard to hear after all. Ene didn't know what Shintaro was doing as he recorded the mail, but the quality was horrible.

_'…I don't know… you…'_

Ene hoped that it's really just a misunderstanding.

When she went to the world of zeroes, she found that Shintaro had gone online, as if inviting her to come to his computer.

"… uuu…"

A shiver ran through her spine, as if her self is disintegrating into pixels.

"… Has he really… decided to ignore me? This is so frustrating! Is this what a daughter feels when she wants to come home after running away because of a silly fight with her father?! What should I do?!"

Even though the gate had been opened, Ene couldn't bring herself to enter. In the end, what she could do was only sending him another reply.

* * *

When Shintaro opened his eyes. There was a new mail in the inbox. He wiped his eyes as he wondered how come he could sleep peacefully even after going online.

Where the hell is that annoying siren who loves to wake him up with a scream?

After blinking once, he realized that inside the screen in front of him, the girl he expected to bug him to death didn't exist.

"… Ene?"

His fatigue disappeared in an instant.

Shintaro immediately checked out his files, checking if there's anything that had been changed. Ene never missed any opportunity to mess up his files. Even though he had run through all of his hard-drives, everything was just as he remembered.

Ene hadn't come.

He remembered once when he was so mad, he had thought that if she didn't exist he'd feel much better. He had always found her as an annoying girl and that feeling hadn't changed.

But… his headache for some reason only got worse.

"… Is this it? Is this what a father would feel after realizing that his daughter might never come back again after a fight?"

He whispered in horror.

Even now, he still couldn't understand why that analogy appeared on his mind. It's not like he created her or anything, and as far as he's concerned he had always seen her as his annoying roommate.

Back then, the only reason he accepted her (halfheartedly) was only because he could see resemblance between the girl to the ever so cheerful Ayano. Which was bad.

Really bad.

When a girl was that cheerful, usually means that she's hiding something.

Until the end, Ayano never told him what she's hiding, and he regretted not being able to stop her. But, Ene wasn't Ayano despite their similarities. Shintaro didn't even know if she's human. There's no telling what she could and would do in desperate times.

"_I don't know myself that well too! But well, please give me your guidance, Master!"_

It was obviously a lie. She had the same expression as when Ayano told him she's perfectly happy and there's nothing bothering her.

And the similarity too, made him afraid. What if the mail in his inbox, which was obviously from Ene judging from the subject which said 'I got your reply', was her announcing her stupid act of desperation? Why she'd do that was beyond him, of course. He'd accepted her back, right? He'd gone online, and made way for her to return, right?

Shintaro swallowed the lump that had formed on his throat and decided to hear her out, hoping that he's just being paranoid.

"_… Master… I've received your message. I'm sorry… But I couldn't… hear anything… I'm sorry, that's a lie… I can hear that you don't care about me anymore… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I won't bother you ever again… So, thank you for all this time. Good bye. "_

Hearing that, Shintaro panicked.

After mustering his courage to reply her, he got that instead. His heartbeat fastened. What he just heard sounded suspiciously like suicide note. His worst fear was proven true.

"What part of my message could have possibly made her think that?!"

Fortunately, Shintaro knew where she was, and so he stood up from his seat and rushed out to see her. Usually, Ene would send him mails from his own account, but for some reason, the last one was different.

Why she'd use Momo's account was beyond Shintaro, but he's glad she used it.

He kicked the door of Momo's room open, something he only dared to do because of he knew his mother and sister were not at home, and found Momo's computer turned on. When he got close, he could see Ene on the corner of the screen, her hand on her chest looking wide-eyed at him for a second before her expression changed and the display turned black.

Shintaro pressed the power button, but the screen stayed black. In the end, he sighed and sat in front of the computer. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed once more before speaking.

"… Ene, I don't know what you heard, but it's a misunderstanding. I can't possibly ignore you even if I try. You're unbearable in every way possible. So, don't do anything stupid… Whatever you're thinking stop. Specially don't destroy the internet! I can't handle that!"

"…"

After a very awkward silent, Shintaro face palmed.

"Uhm, okay… Not a good consolation line. Forget that. It came out wrong. Your mail sounded like suicide note, and you're not human, and I don't know what you'd do! I don't care if you're going to screw the entire world by messing up global connection, but please don't disappear!"

Suddenly the screen blinked and the display became visible once more.

Ene was sitting in the corner, her face red and she seemed to be hiccuping, although Shintaro had no idea that was possible. He just noticed that a lot of windows were opened, and each were filled with codes that he couldn't understand. Even so, one by one they closed themselves, like Ene was aborting whatever she was planning to do. She looked to the side and muttered, "I'm… sorry…".

Ayano's face appeared on his mind. She was crying as she gazed at the scenery outside the window. Despite the warm air, her neck was hidden by her red muffler.

Just like her, Ene sometimes cried in silence. Shintaro, being a light sleeper he was, could hear her sobs sometimes at night.

Shintaro clicked his tongue. It's as if troubled girls swarmed around him. He wondered why he bothered with them. Shintaro was a loner by nature, but somehow he couldn't leave Ene despite his annoyance. Not after what happened with Ayano.

"Well, don't be. It was my fault. You know how bad I am with words."

She nodded.

"Your lyric sucks."

"Okay, judging from my lack of finished song, I guess that's a harsh truth I have to accept. It's my fault I can't make music, not yours. So, we're cool? And, uhm, are you cool? I don't really want to know what you're planning, but I hope you've decided to abort it."

"I guess…? I mean, we just insulted each other without any screaming. It never happened before."

Both then finally cracked a smile.

"Yeah. We're pretty bad match."

"Tell me about it. I wonder why I ended up in your inbox."

Ene giggled.

There it was again, the fear that just wouldn't leave him. Every time Shintaro saw her face, there was always a moment when he saw Ayano instead of the blue haired girl. She knew why she ended up in his inbox.

Even so, he stayed quiet and sighed. Pushing her would only make her close up even more.

"Do you want to stay with Momo? Ten days without screams, I'd say it's a good sign."

"No. I don't want to bother her. Besides, she's usually too tired to even speak to me. "

"And yet you're fine bothering me?!"

"Master, you're not doing two jobs. Of course I'm fine with doing things as I like in your computer! I'm sure your mom and sister are fine with it! They've been trying to bring you out of the house for months!"

He couldn't argue with that.

Ene folded her hands and looked at him with squinted eyes. Even so, she was smiling.

A sense of relief that appeared out of nowhere made Shintaro smiled also. At least, she's back into her usual annoying self. Although for him, it's not necessarily a good thing.

Looking at her, whose face often overlapped with Ayano in his eyes, Shintaro hoped that she'd stay that way.

Annoying and cheerful, unbearably hard to ignore.

He didn't want to promise not to forget someone again, whoever that is.

"… Great, not one minute after we made up, we're already arguing… We have to do something about this."

* * *

"So, in the end, everything is well?"

Momo smiled at the girl on her screen, which nodded with smile brighter than she had ever shown Momo before.

"When you're gone, we cleared out the misunderstanding. We've made a deal of some sort, so I guess you can say that. I have to make myself unnoticeable when he's working on his silly music, and in return he'll 'try' to withstand all of my antics as long as his creativity isn't disturbed. "

"… antics?"

"Apparently I'm too loud for him. And he didn't like it when I sort through his files. Go figure, haha~"

Momo laughed with her.

"Be sure to tell me any dirty secret he has, okay?"

"It's a promise. I'll tell you everything about him. When he barf, when he snores… I'll record a bunch of embarrassing videos of him for you."

"When he's frustrated too."

Momo said it in all seriousness. Ene blinked once, a bit surprised hearing the chance in her tone, before nodded and replied.

"… Yeah. I'll tell you right away."

"That'd be great. Brother is too kind. He has always been wanting something permanent. Whatever the reason is, he just can't handle with separation. He deals with it worse than living with people he finds annoying."

"It's not healthy," Ene said as she nodded once more in agreement.

"Totally. First time, he detached himself from people. The second time, from the world. That's why, Ene, I'll help you in any way, but don't ever leave my brother alone. You've entered his life, whether you like it or not. To me, he's just one step close from being suicidal."

Somehow, Ene heard it as a warning. Momo's eyes turned red, making her look even more threatening. Ene found it hard to look away from her despite her wish to do so.

"Promise me, Ene."

"… yes. I promise."

Momo's power enabled her to attract people's attention, and she's charming enough to make people swoon over her. Ene wasn't really affected, with her not being human anymore, but Momo had been right and it's hard to resist something right.

Unlike her, Shintaro could die, and she wouldn't put it pass him to try to kill himself when/if he realized he's losing someone, no matter how annoying that person is in his eyes.

Death.

Ene couldn't die, but death isn't a foreign word for her. In the past, she had died several timesShe couldn't forget the sight of a young man inside a glass chamber filled with formalin, wires and tubes attached to his pale body. Despite her doubts, she couldn't ignore the feeling of yearning towards the boy. She had to find him, and for that, Shintaro was necessary.

If he hadn't come and convince her that he couldn't live without internet (he said otherwise immediately after, but Ene knew better) she would have altered the connection system which enabled her to invade any electronic devices. She'd be alone inside the world of codes, alone and alert, watching people that mattered to her through their monitor like angel watching humans from above.

Momo beamed after the vow escape Ene's lips, and giggled.

"Awesome. Thank you, Ene. We're going to have so much fun together!"

Ene questioned her words, but she smiled anyway.

Just like him, Ene's existence depended on a long red thread, and the end of it was…

'Haruka…. please wait… I'm sure someday I'll find you… Even though it's cruel… even though it's selfish of me… I need these kids.'

The person she loved was last seen inside a place beyond her reach, and whether she liked it or not her best chance of seeing him again was by staying with the annoying hikkikomori who once embarrassed her.

He's the only one she could trust.

She couldn't find another person with connection as strong as his was towards that person after all.

'That person… is surely still at school.'

'If I can get to him… through the sister is probably better, but she's too unpredictable…'

Whether or not finally she gets to the person she's after, is another story.


	4. Underdog Supremacist

Not really related, but inspired by Underdog Supremacist. It's an awesome song no? I always imagine A-ya as Shintaro, C-ta as Ene, and the fangirls as Ayano, Momo, and Kano laughing at the two lol.

* * *

Looking up, the sky was cloudless blue.

Somehow, looking at the summer sky made Shintaro remembered the old days. There was a time when he, just like any other boy, liked superhero from a TV show. It was amazing. He could defeat anyone, and was so mysterious. With his gun, he was unbeatable.

That's one reason why the genius boy used to like shooting games.

That day in his junior highschool days, when he went with Ayano to a highschool's cultural festival, he proved to be better than the supposedly top class player who went against him. At that time, Shintaro couldn't help but to wonder if he resembled the superhero he used to worship, even for just a bit.

When he got home that day, he re-watched the show again from beginning to end, before deciding that he's getting too old for that stuff.

How silly.

He was Shintaro Kisaragi, the boy genius with IQ of 168.

He's an elite! Girls flocked around him!

… Well, technically it's just a girl, Ayano, but Shintaro was sure the other girls secretly liked him too. What's not to like in him? He's smart, he's brilliant, and he's handsome.

Or so did his mother say long time ago when he was still in kindergarten, but she must be right. She never lied before.

Anyway, the point was...

He couldn't be associated with silly superhero story!

And so, the boy slowly forgot about the story, and he also abandoned his love for shooting games. It was as if he never liked them at all.

Of course, it was until...

"Master~ Look what I've found~"

When he was making music, suddenly Ene popped up and grinned devilishly. It was as if she grew devil horns and tails, looking at her made Shintaro thought that. The AI girl then waved her hand, and a pop up appeared. It was a picture. Shintaro leaned forward, raised an eyebrow and...

Screamed.

"Shintaro, how many times do I have to tell you to keep it down?!"

His mother's voice could be heard when he finally out of breath, and was forced to stop. Even so, looking at the picture again made him want to scream once more. Ene was still grinning, her hands on her headphones as if it'd protect her from Shintaro's scream, and she was wiggling her eyebrows.

It was a picture of his grade school self, standing with one feet on Momo's back, who was for some odd reason tied up and was laying on the ground, and a small girl with twin tails crying next to him.

All in all, it was obvious it was a picture of him bullying two girls, but it wasn't what made him scream earlier.

What did was the clothes the already forgotten girl and small Shintaro wear in the picture.

The girl was wearing oversized blue sweater with hoodie, which looked like it was meant to be a devil costume, seeing from the eyes, mouth, horns, and tail attached to it. On her hand was a broken trident. She looked like she was just from a Halloween party.

Just like Shintaro, who was wearing red cape above his shirt and black sweater. More to it, he was also wearing cat ears. On his hands were toy guns. With his weird pose and laughing face, he looked silly, all in all.

No wonder Ene seemed like she's enjoying the sight of Shintaro's humiliated face.

"Where did you get that picture?!"

"Little sister showed me this earlier! How cute, Master! I didn't know you had THAT phase!"

"Now then, Master, please observe~"

With a wave of her hand, the picture changed.

It was still the same picture, but Ene had definitely edited it. The girls and Shintaro looked older in the picture, so it looked like the picture was taken recently instead of years ago.

If his gang found out, he'd be laughing stock for eternity! There's no way a guy like Kano wouldn't joke about it!

Shintaro tried with all his might to delete the picture, but alas, Ene would always bring it back in a second with a wave of her hand. While giggling.

"You know why you can't delete it, Master?"

The realization hit him hard.

"God, no... You didn't!"

"I did!"

Ene had put it online.

As if to prove it, she opened the browser and accessed the site where she had put his picture. It had gotten millions of thumbs ups.

And Shintaro froze.

"... Master?"

No matter how many times she called him, he wouldn't respond. It was as if he had fainted, but how could it be when his eyes were still open?

Ene waved her hands, but still nothing happened.

He had lost it.

"Okaay, I think it's enough as prank," she decided with a clap. In an instant, everything was terminated. The pop up, and the site too. With a wave of her hand, the picture was erased.

It'd be as if it had never been there in the first place.

Well, the truth was it never reached internet. It's just a simple algorithm used in many kinds of virus. The truth was that the picture was just stuck in Shintaro's computer like Ene. The site was bogus too.

"But to think he didn't notice after I show him that edited version... Master, you're so slow."

Once upon a time, there was a small weak girl. In her childhood, she was once bullied by a younger boy and decided that she'd best him in shooting games, his specialty. Although in her high school years she managed to be one of the best in the country, she was still bested by the younger boy.

Due to certain circumstances however, she now could bully him back anytime she wanted. Life's good. It's as if the wish from her past was granted.

When Shintaro realized it, it was already night time.

"Huh... Did I... fell asleep?"

It's like he really did fainted with eyes open.

"You did~ With eyes open. It was really a sight."

"I just had the strangest dream... Good gods it's just a dream... that picture was so embarrassing it'd kill me if it gets out..."

Perhaps one day, when and if he could remember, he'd realize the small girl he bullied in the picture looking familiar. But it was not likely.

In the end... the memory of that day disappear like a dream.


	5. Lost Time Memory

**My interpretation of Lost Time Memory. At least half of it. The story seemed undone because well, the PV ended that way! I can't understand most of its Japanese, so this is only based on the PV. Konoha's feelings are all conjecture, and so is Shintaro's.**

* * *

Laying on the bed was a very young girl.

Some would say she's no longer alive, while some would say that she's still hanging in there.

A white haired young man stared at the dying girl with blank expression.

He was confused.

Someone precious to him, his family, was laying on the bed dying, but he couldn't feel anything.

He raised his hand and wondered.

His fear was proven true.

But it's not like he didn't understand.

Countless years had passed in that endless dream, and somewhere along the line he realized that there's only one way to end it.

Nevertheless, he never stopped trying to save the two children, and hoped that his realization is false.

It's his fault despite what everyone said.

How could it be not? It was him who failed to save them. It's his fault for not being able to reach them in time.

The result of the dream would always be the same, that was the death of a child.

A very precious child to him.

This time was also the same. Albeit the dying child was different, she was still a precious being for him.

And yet, he couldn't feel anything when he saw the incident. Even now, what he felt was just emptiness.

He stared at the girl who had decided to end the dream with her death and wondered.

Even though someone precious to him was dying, he couldn't feel even a bit of grief, and the young man wondered why that was.

_"What a relief, right?"_

Somewhere deep inside him, it felt like someone was talking to him.

_"You're now in reality. Praise the girl who brought you back."_

The young man ran away from the hospital as if by doing so he could stop hearing those things from his own mind.

"Wait, Konoha!"

Someone he didn't know screamed out his name.

He turned around, and found a group of teenagers about his age looking at him with curious eyes.

"Ene... we've caught up to him. Now what?"

A familiar looking girl asked the only man in the group, who was holding his cell phone. Konoha instantly thought that she wasn't talking to the man, but instead to the person currently connected to them via phone.

"... who are you?"

He asked coldly. He's not in the mood for anything but being alone.

The group stayed quiet. They seemed as confused as he was.

"We're Mekakushi Dan. We'd like to have a talk with you."

A green haired person said finally.

"Meka... kushi?"

Suddenly the man in red jersey unplug his earphone and let put his phone on speaker, facing the screen towards Konoha. There was a girl in blue looking pale and her clear voice suddenly rang out like bells.

"Konoha! You're Konoha, right?!"

Somehow, her voice brought pain to his heart.

A memory from an already forgotten dream resurfaced. There was a girl, pouting as her face turned red, and a boy laughing heartily. But the memory was soon replaced by that of two children he knew and love chatting together under the scorching summer sun. Hibiya was pouting while Hiyori smiled knowingly. They seemed like the opposite of the pair that came to his mind first.

"... what do you want?"

Konoha asked as he put his hand on his aching chest, cold sweat started to drench his clothes.

"Why do you make me remember that unbearable thing?"

"Do you know they're now half-dead in the hospital, and it's all my fault?"

The blue girl flinched, and stayed quiet. She appeared like she didn't know what to say to his statement. Perhaps it's because she also didn't know what went inside his mind. He himself didn't know why just by calling his name, the girl could brought out the memory of the fun times he had with the two children.

It was suffocating.

It was becoming hard to breathe.

"It's my fault... Even though she said it wasn't, it's still my fault... It's my fault they ended that way..."

"And yet... No one blamed me, not even her..."

Konoha smiled.

"Even though I'd rather have her take me with her..."

"That's why..."

* * *

Looking at the black haired man in front of him made Shintaro remembered his past self.

_'It was my fault... Even though everyone else said it wasn't, it's still my fault. It's my fault she ended up committing suicide.'_

That went inside his mind for days.

There was even a time when he thought of death.

Just like Konoha, no one blamed Shintaro for Ayano's death, and so he understood. It was hard losing someone important to you, especially when no one acknowledge it's your fault when you know it was.

That's why when the person Ene called Konoha brought out a gun from gods-know-where, he wasn't a bit surprised.

He ran towards him, and the world turned black.

_"Hey, can you hear me?"_

Someone asked him.

Somehow, Shintaro knew who asked him despite the voice being unfamiliar to him. And so he reached out...

_"You know what to do."_

A woman's voice echoed.

Opening his eyes, he was in a classroom with Ayano standing near the window. Her eyes were blood red just like Mekakushi Dan's members when they're using their powers. She smiled, and said...

"I'm sorry. I'm going to die. I guess it's time to say goodbye."

Shintaro had seen the dream countless times. In his dream, he'd always scream at her for saying such lonely words and begged her to not go.

But this time, Shintaro realized it's not right.

It's just a memory. Whatever happen in the dream, nothing in reality would change. And for the people he could now call his friends, he had to move on.

That's why, he just shook his head.

"You'll keep on watching over me, right?"

He managed to say with a smile.

Ayano seemed surprised, but finally she giggled and nodded. She took off her muffler and made Shintaro wear it before disappearing.

While trying hard to hold back his tears by closing his eyes, Shintaro smiled.

Opening his eyes, they're blood red, and when he realized it he's back in his room already.


End file.
